


It Runs in the Family

by dweetwise



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: AU: after the Entity, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Meeting the Parents, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28788546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dweetwise/pseuds/dweetwise
Summary: A nervous Felix meets Ace's boisterous family, and it goes much smoother than either of them expected.
Relationships: Felix Richter/Ace Visconti
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	It Runs in the Family

**Author's Note:**

> an extremely self-indulgent fic that i spent an absurd amount of time on and hope others will like too <3  
> warnings for very briefly mentioned/implied (past) suicide, eating disorder, child trafficking, drug abuse, alcoholism, gambling addiction and depression.  
> also disclaimer that i don't know italian and most of it is probably hilariously wrong!

Felix likes Buenos Aires.

The city is lively, the people even more so, the food is good and the wine is fantastic. Ace's initial hesitance to visit his roots had quickly dissolved as he excitedly dragged Felix along on familiar streets and navigated crowded markets with ease. Even if Felix had occasionally stopped in the middle of a busy sidewalk, taking in specific parts of the surrounding architecture and mentally filing away the inspiration for later use, Ace was so used to his quirks by now it didn't even faze him. 

But this day is different. Felix no longer feels like a carefree tourist with his own, personal guide; he feels like a nervous outsider.

Because today, he's meeting Ace's family.

Felix hadn’t said a word during the entire cab ride, Ace filling the silence by making small talk with the driver in what Felix thinks is Spanish. Thank god they got the cab, at least; Ace's sister had apparently offered to pick them up from their hotel, but Felix had panicked and lied, claiming they shouldn't inconvenience her. Ace had quirked an eyebrow, seeing right through Felix’s lie, but still went along with it.

Which is great, because Felix doesn't know how much worse his anxiety can get. His palms are incredibly sweaty despite it not even being that hot outside today, and he feels like throwing up from the nerves.

He just _knows_ they're going to hate him. He's just some dumb, white boy who doesn't even know the language; tucked away in his mansion for his entire life and completely oblivious to the hardships of the real world. They're going to notice just how awkward he is and wonder what Ace sees in him—

“Amor," Ace's voice and a firm hand on his arm snaps Felix out of it, Ace apparently stuck in Spanish-mode following his conversation with the driver.

The small gesture is enough to calm some of Felix's unease, a reminder that he's not doing this alone and that Ace — for some crazy reason — not only loves him, but also deems him worthy enough of meeting his family.

“I'm alright,” Felix lies more for his own benefit than Ace's, running a sweaty hand through his hair to calm his racing thoughts.

“It'll be fine," Ace reassures, squeezing his bicep. "They're going to love you—you'll see,” he says with a grin.

He doesn't say Felix shouldn't be nervous or tell him how ridiculous he's being; Ace has learned just how bad Felix's anxiety gets for the dumbest of reasons, and he never holds it against him.

And that’s just another reason Felix really doesn't deserve this man.

“I hope you're right,” Felix sighs, placing his hand on top of Ace's.

“You're kidding, right?” Ace teases. “You're literally every mother's dream son-in-law.”

Felix suddenly recalls meeting his ex-girlfriend's parents, at a fancy cocktail party held at her family’s estate. He hadn't been nearly as nervous then, putting on his play-act and making polite small talk and laughing his fake laugh for hours on end, ending in her father proclaiming him a respectable suitor. The gesture hadn’t really bothered him either way, merely feeling like he could tick one thing off the long checklist of “how to be in a relationship.”

But this is different. He wants Ace's family to like him for _him_ , and not just his status or fake persona.

Felix doesn't even realize the car has stopped until the driver turns to look at them expectantly and Ace, already having his wallet in hand, hands him a 500-peso bill, making Felix’s heart sink into his stomach.

By zoning out, Felix unknowingly made his boyfriend pay for the cab which Felix himself insisted on taking. At least Ace's family isn't here to see him making an idiot out of himself.

They get out of the relative safety of the cab and walk toward Felix's inevitable doom, Ace with a spring in his step and Felix trying not to drag his feet too noticeably. He ends up getting a little distracted by a row of charmingly colored, if slightly derelict, houses lined up across the street, glad for the shift in focus as his artistic eye takes over momentarily.

But then Ace is squeezing his hand firmly and Felix realizes they've reached their destination.

“You ready?” Ace asks, raising his hand to knock on one of the doors of an unassuming apartment complex made out of concrete. But his hand pauses mid-air, waiting for Felix's confirmation.

“No,” Felix answers honestly, chuckling nervously and wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. “Do I look okay?” he asks, smoothing out his shirt, just in case ironing it for an hour at the hotel wasn’t enough.

“Baby, you look _gorgeous_ ,” Ace practically purrs, his eyelids lowering in an appreciative look that makes heat spread over Felix's cheeks, making him feel better about his outfit choice.

He’d originally wanted to bring a suit for the occasion, but Ace refused to let him even pack one, reminding that the trip was for leisure and not business. Felix wanted to make a good impression during the family dinner they'd been invited to, but Ace claimed he'd only be overdressing.

Felix had eventually settled on a dress shirt under his leather jacket along with a pair of chinos. Ace seemed satisfied with his efforts, donning a button-up of his own in solidarity. And while Ace's look was a lot more casual, with the colorful palm leaf print on his shirt and only in basic jeans, it made Felix feel better for at least not being underdressed.

A sharp knock on the door snaps Felix out of it, noticing his bastard of a boyfriend sealing their fates while he was distracted.

“Ace!" Felix hisses.

“No turning back now!” Ace smirks, not looking the least bit sorry.

Felix is about to do some half-hearted complaining, but then he hears hurried footsteps from within the apartment and his annoyance is instantly replaced by panic.

Conveniently, he doesn't have time to fret, because the door is swinging open with a force Felix doesn't expect, narrowly missing his shoulder.

“Porca vacca!” a woman appears in the doorway, and the first things Felix notices about her are her wide smile and questionably colored bright pink shirt. “You're so early!”

Felix reflexively glances at his watch, paranoia washing over him. He’d tried to time their arrival perfectly, and seeing it’s a couple minutes _over_ the time they’d been told, the accusation only makes him more confused.

“Sorella mia, how lovely to see you!” Ace, thankfully, speaks so Felix doesn't have to. And as he goes in for a kiss on both her cheeks, Felix realizes he's so out of his comfort zone with cultural differences.

“Babe, this is my sister, Gianna,” Ace is quick to involve him in the conversation, turning to face him. “Gianna, meet Felix; my reason for being on time, for once.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Felix manages with a surprisingly steady voice, extending his sweaty hand to hopefully avoid the kissing.

“Ciao _bello_ ,” Gianna’s voice lowers flirtatiously as she returns the handshake, eyeing Felix up and down, making him choke on his own spit at the unexpected bluntness.

“ _Do_ try to not scare him away in two seconds," Ace snorts.

“Please, if he puts up with you, nothing I can do will faze him,” she shoots back. “Now come inside, before mamma slaps me for keeping you!” she adds, hurrying back inside.

Ace chuckles and shakes his head, and then holds the door open and looks at Felix expectantly.

“Don't worry, she's the worst one,” Ace smiles. “Well. The rest won't try to get in your pants, at least," he corrects.

“Um… right,” Felix says, trying to give Ace an encouraging smile before following him inside, praying he doesn't fuck this up.

And then there's another sister waiting for them in the small hallway, eagerly chatting with Gianna, her long hair and floral dress flowing with her animated gestures.

"Ace, che piaceri vederti!" the woman smiles, opting to go in for a hug instead of a cheek kiss on Ace, who chuckles and pats her on the back.

“It's nice to see you too, la sorellina,” Ace says. “You should meet Felix.”

His sister pulls away from the hug and her big brown eyes, so similar to Ace's, land on Felix and widen in surprise.

“Uomo bellissimo!” she gasps, a hand coming up to her chest. And despite Felix's Italian being nonexistent, he's pretty sure he knows what bellissimo means, and feels his face flush from receiving even more compliments.

“I told you,” Gianna smirks, crossing her arms.

The other sister keeps going on in Italian, staring at Felix's face in awe, and Felix tries not to shrink in on himself from the scrutiny.

“Stella, your husband can hear you,” Ace grumbles, moving to stand closer to Felix, maybe unconsciously.

“Mi scusi!” she seems to catch herself, briefly shaking her head. “Ah… nice to meet you, I am Stella,” she says with a stronger accent than her two siblings, shyly bowing her head.

“Felix,” he replies, giving her a nod. “The pleasure is mine.”

“Allora… your jacket?" Stella says, reaching toward him.

“I've got it,” Ace steps in, helping Felix out of his jacket despite him being perfectly capable of undressing himself. “You have your own man.”

“Let's go help mamma,” Gianna suggests, a hand on Stella's shoulder and steering her further into the apartment.

“Jesus Christ, you'd think they'd never seen a man before in their lives,” Ace huffs, hanging Felix's jacket. “Though I guess I've gotten so used to your good looks, I forget how you swept me off my feet the first time we met,” he adds with a wink.

And despite Felix's frazzled nerves and being a little uncomfortable with so much flirting in such a short amount of time, Ace's attention never fails to make him smile.

“Do you have any more sisters I should worry about?” Felix asks playfully.

“Thank god, no,” Ace snorts. “Though mamma might want to hug you. She also doesn't speak English, but I'll translate for you.”

“Thank you,” Felix sighs in relief, happy to have Ace as back-up. He feels ready to meet the rest of the family, not nearly as nervous he was just a few minutes ago.

But Ace isn't moving, fidgeting with the cuff of his shirt and taking a few pointed breaths.

“Are _you_ nervous?” Felix realizes, keeping his voice down as not to alert the others.

“A little,” Ace admits with a lopsided grin. “I haven't seen them in years, and I know they'll love you, but I also want you to like _them_.”

“Hey,” Felix says, placing a comforting hand on Ace's shoulder and leaning closer to his fretting lover. “I already like them, and I'm sure your mother is wonderful too. I'm the one who should be worried, not speaking their language and being so awkward—”

“I think you mean 'adorable',” Ace corrects, teasing.

“—and unused to the culture and…” Felix hesitates. “A man.”

Something in Ace's expression softens, and he clasps Felix's free hand in his own in a sweet gesture.

“Oh, sweetheart," Ace murmurs. “I promise, that's not something you have to worry about; they've known since I was a teen, and mamma claimed she knew when I was six. I'd never have brought you if I thought them not accepting us was even a possibility.”

That does make Felix feel better, and he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He realizes he never asked if and when Ace came out to his family, and even though he has no room to judge since he's still very much in the closet, it feels better to know in advance that he won't face any judgement on that front.

“Okay,” Felix breathes.

“I'm only nervous because I've never—” Ace starts, but there's an impatient holler from the next room interrupting him.

“ACE!” Gianna's voice demands.

“—Well. You should know patience isn't my family's strong suit,” Ace chuckles.

“Never would have guessed,” Felix snarks, and Ace elbows him playfully in the side before pulling him along by his hand to rejoin the others.

Felix has time to spot Gianna setting the table, a serious-looking man sitting in an armchair in the shared living and dining space, as well as a robust, elderly, short woman in a colorful tunic whose face lights up when she spots them.

“Luca!” Ace's mother exclaims and hurries to her son. Ace starts protesting the use of what has to be his birth name, but his mother points an accusing finger in his chest and starts angrily ranting in Italian while Felix just stands next to them, utterly confused.

Eventually Ace sighs and mutters something that sounds like an apology, and his mother's expression goes from angry to happy in a fraction of a second.

“Mio bello figlio,” she says, pulling Ace down to kiss his cheeks while Ace chuckles and returns the gesture.

“Mamma, ti presento Felix,” Ace says, turning to him with a sweet smile. “Babe, meet my mother, Francesca.”

It's only when Ace's mother comes to stand before him that Felix realizes how short she is; he has to have a solid 30 centimeters on her.

“Piacere!” she says with a grin.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Ace translates.

“You as well. I've heard much about you,” Felix says with a smile, extending his hand. She regards it skeptically and for a moment Felix fears the famed Italian matriarch hug and kiss treatment, but in the end she returns his handshake, much more firmly than Felix expected.

And then Stella hollers something from what has to be the kitchen and Ace's mom is shuffling away and giving some command to Ace.

“She says we should sit down,” Ace informs, gesturing to the couch and armchairs in the living space.

“Shouldn't we help prepare dinner?” Felix asks, something not sitting right with him for all the men to go laze around while the women work in the kitchen.

“I'm banned from the kitchen,” Ace shrugs.

“I'd doubt she'd let you help, bello,” Gianna says, before shouting for her mother, making Felix realize just how _loud_ this particular family is.

Ace’s mother re-emerges from the kitchen and listens to Gianna's explanation. She then proceeds to look Felix up and down and mumble something in a skeptical tone.

“She wants to know if you can cook," Gianna says.

“Erhm… no,” Felix admits, shying in on himself in embarrassment. Francesca huffs and points him to the couch, where Ace is chatting with the unknown man.

“Babe, this Stella's husband Sergio,” Ace introduces them when Felix approaches.

“Hello, it's a pleasure,” Felix says with a polite nod, getting used to introductions by this point.

Sergio doesn't say anything, just nods in acknowledgement, and Felix silently sits down next to Ace on the couch. There looks to be a football game going on, and Felix knows jack shit about the sport, but pretends to watch it as not to be rude.

“Félix, sì?” Sergio asks after a while.

“Ah… yes,” Felix says, sitting up straight, not having the heart to correct the pronunciation of his name.

“What do you work?” Sergio asks, his accent strong and grammar questionable, but Felix has no trouble understanding him.

“I'm an architect,” Felix says.

“Wow,” Stella says, leaning over the back of the couch to join the conversation. “You must be very smart!”

“N-no, I wouldn't say that, exactly…” Felix stammers.

“Oh, that's right! Do you still work in construction, Sergio?” Ace remembers, and upon the man's nod, Felix feels panic rising once again.

It's no secret that the laborers always seem to hate the architects, Felix receiving snide comments every time he's visited a construction site of one of his projects. The grizzly workers see a man in a suit who has never done a day of honest work in his life, afraid of getting his hands dirty and distraught even from a papercut.

And before Felix got pulled to the Entity's world, they'd have been absolutely right.

“For twenty-eight years I build houses,” Sergio says, eyeing Felix warily. “Most architect can't even hold hammer right.”

“He's so smart he'd figure out a way to build it without a hammer,” Ace grins, sticking up for him even if it's not needed.

“I admit the only thing I'd trust myself to build is IKEA furniture," Felix agrees with Sergio, trying to play the humbleness card to win over his respect.

Is he laying it on too thick? Oh, god, what if they don't have IKEA here? He doesn't want Ace's family to think Felix sees himself as above them, but the gruff Argentine only regards him silently.

“IKEA is difficult too!” Stella finally interjects, and Sergio doesn't protest, instead taking a swig of his beer.

Felix offers a tentative smile over his shoulder at the woman, who seems to suddenly fluster.

“I-I think pisa is ready,” Stella says, her face a shade of red, hurrying away to the kitchen.

And Felix is left to fret and glance at Sergio and wonder if he hates him now.

“Don't mind him, he's always grumpy,” Ace interjects with a smile, always observant of Felix's moods.

“And you are stupid happy like always,” Sergio counters with a huff. “You should learn from Félix and not talk so much.”

Ace pretends to be offended, scoffing exaggeratedly, while Felix basks in the sign of acceptance.

“You're the one who married into this family knowing exactly what we’re like," Ace grins.

And then, as if proving his point, Ace's mom yells something from the kitchen and Ace is up with a matching shout of his own.

“I'll only be a sec!” Ace offers and pecks Felix on the forehead before dashing off and leaving him alone with practically a stranger.

“Do not be scared of family,” Sergio surprises him by speaking. “They are only happy to see you.”

“Oh, ehm,” Felix starts awkwardly. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Stella very happy to meet,” Sergio continues. “Not meet Ace's… how do you say? Man friend?”

“P-partner works too,” Felix suggests, embarrassed.

“Not meet Ace's partner before. Or woman partner. Ace keep everyone secret," Sergio says.

And Felix is supposed to live with the knowledge that he's the first romantic partner Ace has ever taken home to meet his family, and _not_ freak out or get stupidly sentimental?

“Dinner is ready boys!” Gianna announces, and Felix follows Sergio's lead in getting up and joining the others at the table.

He panics about where to sit for all of two seconds, before Ace is waving him over and making the decision for him, seating Felix between himself and Stella at the round table.

And, finally, Felix can take in the generous servings of food laid out on the table in front of him. There's the pizza someone mentioned earlier, a whole grilled fish, and what looks like some kind of soup or stew, along with several sides.

And everything smells absolutely amazing.

“Spero che abbiate fame,” Ace's mother says, coming up behind Felix to place yet another dish on the cramped table, forcing him to duck out of the way and lean up against Ace.

“She hopes you're hungry,” Ace translates, before a smirk spreads over his lips. “ _I_ sure am,” his boyfriend purrs, using the opportunity of Felix's proximity to cheekily cop a feel of his buttocks and making Felix's face flare red.

But then there's a smack and Ace is yelping “Ow!” and pulling his hand away, and Felix notices his mother shaking the wooden spoon and rambling something in Italian while glaring at Ace.

“She says not at the table,” Stella leans in to whisper, eventually breaking out in a giggle.

As Ace sheepishly seems to apologize once again, Francesca waddles over to her chair, everyone waiting for the matriarch to be seated before digging into the food.

“Buon appetito!” the woman announces with a very familiar grin, one he’s seen on Ace’s face countless times.

A chorus of “Grazie, altrettanto!” follows her, and Felix looks around in brief alarm over not saying anything, but nobody seems to care, everyone reaching for the food at the same time.

Not knowing what to do, Felix follows Ace's lead, combining the dishes with their respective sides while Stella and Sergio chat with Ace's mother in Italian.

As Felix reaches for some kind of sauce to add to the stew like he sees Gianna do, Ace's hand reaches out to stop him.

“You might wanna skip that one,” his lover casually points out.

And Felix is immediately grateful for the warning. Ace knows how terrible he is at handling spice, always joking Felix has the “whitest” taste he’s ever seen. It was something Felix had admitted to being worried over, and seeing Ace save him the embarrassment without teasing him makes him eternally grateful.

“I see,” Felix says diplomatically. “Anything else I should try?”

‘Or avoid’ is left unsaid.

“I think you're good,” Ace says, pouring him a glass of white wine without even asking, knowing his taste in drink by heart. “Dig in!”

Seeing the others are already eating, Felix has no trouble doing so, only hesitating a little before trying one of the salads.

Flavor explodes in his mouth, a tinge of lemon and herbs along with the crunchiness of the vegetables. And, thankfully, no hotness in his mouth following the bite.

Feeling emboldened, Felix cuts a piece of the unconventional-looking pizza, not surprised when it's just as tasty. The flavors are a lot different to what he's used to, but he finds himself liking it.

He takes a mouthful of the stew with the accompanying freshly baked bread, and finds he likes the taste even more, its rich and warm flavors another pleasant surprise.

And then he realizes people are looking at him expectantly.

“What do you think?” Gianna asks, voicing everybody's question.

“It’s really good,” Felix says, mortified to notice he didn't even bother to swallow properly before speaking, making sure to do so before continuing. “Everything is delicious.”

Gianna grins and translates to her mother, who laughs heartily and replies something, while Felix finally tries the wine, which, unsurprisingly, is also great.

“Mamma says she toned down the spice when she heard you were from Germany,” Ace snorts.

Felix's face flushes red and he looks at the woman, who only gives a wide smile in return.

“I'm sorry for the inconvenience,” Felix apologizes to the matriarch, before glancing at Ace's sisters. “You all went through so much trouble for me.”

“It was no trouble!” Stella insists. “Mamma's cooking taste great even without extra chili!”

There's a chorus of agreement from the other three, making Francesca look smug, which is fully deserved in Felix's book. The woman must have spent the entire day in front of the stove.

“What kind of food do you have in Germany?” Gianna asks.

And Felix tries to not make his lack of culinary skills too obvious as he tells them about the Germans’ love of potato and sausage. He also goes through some of the national dishes, pretending he knows anything about how to make them.

It's not like he can say him and Ace eat takeaway every other night; wouldn't exactly make a good impression on a family that takes their food extremely seriously.

“That sounds… nice?” Stella comments on the dishes, but at least she's trying for his sake.

“It's bland as fuck,” Ace snorts. “The best food I've had in the country was Indian.”

But then Francesca interrupts him, and Gianna smiles.

“Mamma wants to know how you met,” the woman translates.

Ace and Felix glance at each other in recognition, knowing it's time for their rehearsed story about a chance encounter on Felix's business trip where Ace flirted his way into his heart.

“Can I do the honors?” Ace asks.

“Please,” Felix says, giving a happy smile.

As Ace starts telling the story in Italian, instantly 10 decibels louder and with animated gestures like someone flicked a switch, Felix focuses back on his meal.

Ace garners some laughs, tuts and "aww"s from his audience as they periodically glance at Felix, and he hopes they don't ask for details because Ace isn't exactly known to stick to the script.

It feels a little bad having to lie, but it's not like they can tell anyone about the real circumstances of their meeting and relationship. Sitting here, eating a home-cooked meal by a cramped table and surrounded by laughter and life; it feels so surreal that just a year ago they were still stuck in an otherworldly realm and its constant cycle of death.

But Felix is glad for the experience because it gave him _this_ , a chance at a normal life so much better than his previous one full of lies.

Noticing the group's conversation seems to have drifted to other topics while he was lost in thought, Gianna now taking over the turn to talk, Felix doesn't mind the slightest that he’s not included. He knows Ace and his family have a lot of catching up to do, and realizes this night isn't just about him; it's also about Ace reuniting with his family after everything that happened to him.

And honestly, Felix is glad for the breather and having the focus taken off him. Socializing has always been draining for him, and he knows he'll probably have to mostly stay in the hotel tomorrow to recharge his batteries, but it's a sacrifice he's willing to make. Meeting Ace's family is leagues more important, not to mention more pleasant, than his numerous business dinners and conferences.

He takes some time to observe Ace’s family. Both of the sisters look a lot like their mother, the brown eyes and laugh lines something Felix recognizes even from Ace. Francesca has grey hair, Gianna black and Stella brown, but Gianna’s looks dyed, maybe also grey if she let it grow out. The siblings clearly resemble each other but have different features, as he doesn’t see Ace's nose or cheekbones on anyone else, and Felix thinks he remembers hearing they all have different fathers.

“Bello, how old are you?” Gianna asks, and it takes Felix a second to realize that she's even addressing him, and that 'handsome' is now apparently his recurring nickname. “You are so pretty and Ace is so old,” she adds, making Ace drop his utensils to offer her a pleasant smile along with a hand gesture Felix doesn't recognize, but would guess is not-so-nice.

“I'm thirty-nine,” Felix points out with a raised eyebrow. 'Young' isn't exactly how he'd describe himself.

“Same age as me!" Stella gasps. “How do you not have any wrinkles?”

“He only does on his forehead because he worries so much,” Ace quips.

“Why?” Stella asks, alarm now on her own face. “Are you not happy?”

Seeing her show such genuine concern for him, practically a stranger, is oddly touching.

“No, I am, I just—” Felix starts, floundering, not wanting to share too much but also realizing that he _is_ happy, even if he doesn’t always take the time to appreciate it. “Sometimes work is very busy.”

“Must be a stressful job,” Gianna says. “Hopefully my idiot little brother helps you and doesn't just play cards.”

“I help a lot, thank you very much,” Ace snarks, shooting a glare over the table, not looking happy at the mention of his old gambling habit.

And Felix realizes that since Gianna referred to him as her little brother and Stella is the same age as Felix…

“Of course you're the middle child,” Felix huffs in amusement, smiling at his lover.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Ace, easily going along with the change in topic, demands with a smile and nudges Felix's knee with his own under the table.

“I've heard middle kids are desperate for attention,” Felix says conversationally.

“Oh, he has always been!” Stella says. “Mamma says that when I was baby, he would follow and do stupid thing to get her to look at him.”

“No I didn't—” Ace tries to argue.

“Oh, yeah!” Gianna says. “I remember he'd take off all his clothes and run around the house naked.”

Felix lets out a snort, easily being able to imagine the scenario, and Ace elbows him in the ribs in retaliation.

“Sounds like bullshit—” Ace tries.

“And every time nonna visit, he would do same card trick,” Stella giggles. “He was angry if she talk to us and not look at him.”

“Funny I don't remember _any_ of these instances,” Ace protests.

“I remember you almost burned down the kitchen when you tried to melt my favorite doll in the oven like an asshole,” Gianna says.

“ _You_ shaved my head when I was sleeping!” Ace accuses.

“You started it!” Gianna argues.

“Don't worry, he is great brother," Stella reassures Felix while her two older siblings are quarreling. "Do you have siblings?”

“Ah, no,” Felix says, trying to ignore the escalating Italian shouting coming from his right. “I always wanted one, but. It wasn't up to me.”

“I'm sad for you,” Stella says, frowning. “It must be boring being only child.”

If by 'boring' she means 'heartbreakingly lonely', that would be correct. No matter how chaotic, he finds himself jealous of the bond the siblings share.

“It was… quiet,” Felix tries to joke to lighten the mood, his voice barely heard over the bickering.

“Sounds nice,” Sergio mumbles before taking a bite of bread, and his wife smacks him lightly on the shoulder.

“It is, how they say…” she hums. “Opposite attract? Ace talk so you don't have to."

“Exactly,” Felix nods with a smile, glancing at his lover arguing, until his mom gets the pasta spoon again and both siblings instantly pipe down.

“Un'altra porzione,” Fransesca says, nudging one of the pots into Gianna's hands to distract her.

And then she seems to notice Felix's plate is clean and nudges the stew his way with a demanding stare.

“Oh, um,” Felix says, lifting his hands up. “I'm alright, thank you.”

She narrows her eyes and turns to talk to Ace.

“She says you need more meat on your bones,” Ace grins, and then his mother pokes him in the gut, slightly hanging over his belt. “Hey!” Ace scoffs, affronted.

“Unlike him,” Gianna translates with a smug smirk, following her mother's lead and passing Felix the dish over the table.

Chuckling, Felix ends up going for a second helping, taking the initiative to serve some on Ace's plate as well, seeing as his boyfriend is too busy fake sulking and crossing his arms over his midsection.

“You're perfect,” Felix murmurs softly as he's leaned over Ace to reach his plate, placing a quick peck on his lover's stubbled cheek, wanting to reassure him even though he's pretty sure it's just a normal cultural thing to say among family.

He pulls away but Ace grabs his knee under the table and gives him A Look, a fire burning behind his half-lidded eyes and a promising smile on his lips that makes Felix clear his throat and adjust the collar of his shirt because he suddenly feels a little _warm_.

It's ridiculous how much a wordless exchange can affect him, and he digs into his meal a little more enthusiastically than appropriate, needing to get his mind out of the gutter. But Ace keeps his hand on his knee while they eat, thumb kneading the meat of Felix's thigh, and he's grateful the tablecloth hides both the action and the tightening of his pants.

Luckily the others seem to still be engrossed in conversation as Ace's hand finally leaves him, and Felix can focus on calming himself and his racing heart while they finish the last of their meals.

After dinner, Felix follows Ace's lead in thanking Francesca for their meals, who merely huffs and mutters something, clearly trying to belittle her efforts. Felix is about to offer to clean up the table but Stella beats him to it, and Felix is helpless to do anything but go along with it when Gianna refills his wine glass and ushers him back to the living room.

“It's bad manners to have a guest help with chores!" the woman claims, and Felix doesn't argue, sitting back down on the couch next to the chair Sergio has reclaimed and went back to watch TV in.

Ace quickly joins him, a newly-filled glass of red in his hands, flopping down next to Felix in a slightly more uncoordinated manner than Felix is used to.

“Is the wine getting to you already?” Felix smirks, taking a sip from his third glass and not even feeling a buzz.

“Shut up,” Ace's grin is a little crooked when he replies, informing Felix that he was spot-on with his assumption. No matter how much the man claimed to have partied before, spending five years involuntarily sober had taken its toll on his alcohol tolerance. It's kind of cute what a lightweight he is now.

“I'm just… happy,” Ace says, laying his head on Felix's shoulder with a content little sigh, always getting more cuddly when he's tipsy.

And Felix is hit by the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around Ace and get comfortable on the couch like they've done so many times at home, maybe even napping after the nice meal.

But sadly, there are other people present, and he settles for placing his hand on Ace's hip, holding him in a loose embrace.

And then there's a sudden flash and sound of a shutter, and Felix blinks the light from his eyes and turns to look at Francesca, holding an old-fashioned disposable camera pointed in their direction.

“Um,” Felix says when the woman merely smiles in pure glee.

“Ugh,” Ace groans. “I forgot she does that.”

“Mostra a Félix le foto!” the woman says, and then she's plopping down a thick photo album in Ace's lap.

“Mamma, no!” Ace protests, trying to shove the item away. “Non le foto del bambino!”

“ _Sì_ le foto del bambino!” Francesca shoots back.

“They're arguing about showing you Ace's baby pictures,” Gianna informs, sitting down on the armrest next to Felix.

“You should see pictures,” Sergio encourages, not taking his eyes off the game on the TV.

“Traitors!” Ace scoffs at the two.

“I'd love to see them,” Felix says, both in genuine curiosity and in order to get under Ace's skin.

Before Ace can protest more, his mother shoves at him until he relents his seat, and then the pudgy woman is sitting down _very_ close to Felix and opening the photo album into his lap, and Felix is once again completely out of his element.

“Not that one!” Ace screeches as a spread of pictures opens, reaching for the book, when his mother slaps his hand away and makes a shooing motion.

“Ace, come with me to the store,” Stella says as she emerges from the kitchen, voicing it like a suggestion but immediately starting to pull Ace toward the front door. “I forgot to buy ice cream.”

Ace sputters but eventually relents, sighing dramatically as he lets himself be dragged away into the foyer, offering a “Be right back!” over his shoulder before Felix hears the door open and slam shut.

And Felix stares in the direction of the door with barely concealed panic on his face, realizing he's been left alone with Ace's family and not trusting himself to not put his foot in his mouth without Ace's moral support.

Thankfully, there's no interrogation or teasing like he expects. Instead, Francesca starts eagerly flipping through the pages in the album, her mouth running a mile a minute as she points at various pictures.

And Gianna takes it upon herself to translate, her mother thankfully slowing down the pace so Felix gets a chance to piece together the information to the right picture.

They start with a couple of small, faded pictures of toddlers, the kids' mother easily able to tell the siblings apart even though the babies all look the same to Felix.

He doesn't really see the point but he smiles and nods politely. Luckily, there aren't a lot of pictures, and on the next spread the kids are already much older and even he can tell them apart.

There's a picture of a much younger Francesca with a baby Stella in her arms, but it's the small eight-year old Ace who catches Felix's attention, standing behind her and tugging on her skirt with an annoyed frown on his face. It's exactly like his sisters said at dinner, and the image makes him chuckle, which makes Francesca somehow even _more_ excited, hurriedly flipping to the next page.

There's a picture of young Ace feeding stray cats, another of him hanging upside down from a tree, and a third one that seems to be from the same day of Ace with his arm in a cast. Weirdly—or maybe unsurprisingly—the wide smile stays on his face throughout all of the pictures.

“Mamma says he was a 'lively' child,” Gianna snorts. “I'd say he was always getting into trouble.”

It makes Felix smile fondly and a little nostalgically, reminded of his own childhood safely tucked away in the Richter manor where he was barely allowed to go into the garden for fear of something happening to the only heir of the family.

They look at some more of the pictures, and Felix sees little Ace and Gianna grow into teens and a cute baby Stella always trailing behind. But there's another boy in the pictures that is never mentioned, and even though he looks a little older, his appearances are frequent enough to make Felix think he's more important than just some distant relative.

“Oh, I remember that!” Gianna suddenly laughs, pointing at a picture where her and Stella look to be painting a pre-teen Ace's face, at least from the doodles he can see on the boy’s cheeks. “We stole mamma's makeup!” Gianna says, and Felix finally notices that the poorly applied mascara, pink splotches of blush and smeared lipstick aren't just facepaint. Ace looks absolutely ridiculous in the makeup but doesn't seem to care, all of the kids smiling in the picture.

When Francesca turns the page, Felix notices the shift in both the women's mood and in the pictures. Ace is now a teen but nobody is smiling in the pictures, even as his mother silently points to one where he's successfully built a big house of cards, looking to be reluctantly posing in front of it. Neither of the women comment on the photos, and when they turn the page there looks to be a huge gap in time, as the next one is from Stella's and Sergio's wedding.

“Thank you for showing me,” Felix says when Ace's mother shuts the album, and she only nods as she gets up, obviously pleased with herself.

“You know,” Gianna starts after a beat of silence, watching her mother put away the album and return to the kitchen. “We wondered why we didn't hear from Ace for so many years.”

Felix tenses and waits for her to continue, not knowing what he can say so as not to blow their cover. Ace’s family were no doubt worried sick when he disappeared without a trace, held captive in another world against his will—

“I mean he's done it before, but not like this. At least not in a long time,” Gianna says somberly, and Felix can't help but feel like he's intruding, hearing something not meant for him, something Ace hasn't yet been comfortable sharing with him.

“I apologize,” she hurries to add, as if sensing his reluctance to continue the conversation. “My point is, we had no clue why he would disappear like that. But now, meeting you? I completely understand,” she adds with a small laugh.

“Oh,” Felix says, caught off guard and blinking in surprise. “I, ehm. I'm sorry for keeping him from you.”

“Nonsense,” she adds with a wave of her hand. “I can see how good you are for him. We were worried he was involved in something dangerous again, but finding out he's been living the domestic life with such a wonderful man is much better than we ever hoped for.”

“I think you're giving me too much credit,” Felix tries to minimize, feeling his neck heating up from the compliment. It's awkward, as he barely knows her and thinks her trust in him is misplaced, plus Sergio is _right_ _there_ to witness the heartfelt moment.

“No,” she says, reaching to grab his hand, and Felix feels a little alarmed from the sudden contact and serious tone, but he hesitantly meets her eyes when she looks at him, staring deeply into his eyes. “I mean it. Thank you for saving my brother.”

Felix, at a loss for words, just stares at her. He wants to protest, saying that Ace is the one that saved _him_ , but the look in her eyes makes him not want to, instead silently accepting her gratitude.

And then the door slams shut and some Italian banter immediately follows, signaling Ace's and Stella's arrival, and Gianna gives him one last smile before letting go of his hand.

“We're back!” Stella calls as her head pops into the room, and Ace appears not far behind her, frantically looking around the room.

“Oh thank god,” he sighs dramatically upon spotting Felix, before making his way over with a grocery bag in his hands. “I thought they'd eat you alive,” he jokes.

“You wound me,” Gianna huffs.

“Hey, you wanna come with me for a sec? We can plate up dessert,” Ace says, nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen meaningfully.

“Of course,” Felix says, glad for a breather.

They go into the kitchen and Ace has a brief exchange with his mother who is doing the dishes, but eventually she gives Felix a smile and leaves for the living room.

“I wanted to check in on you,” Ace says while emptying the contents of the bag onto the counter, using the relative privacy they have from the others. “How’re you holding up? Did everything go okay while I was gone? I'm sorry for leaving—”

“It was fine,” Felix chuckles, interrupting his lover's fussing. “Sergio didn't say anything, but your mother and sister showed me the pictures. And they were adorable.”

“They’re awful but I'm glad you liked them,” Ace grins, reaching for some plates in one of the cupboards.

“Actually,” Felix interjects, recalling the boy he saw earlier. “I got curious about some of them.”

“Oh, _god_ ,” Ace groans in mock exasperation. “Ask away, though I won't promise I'll tell the truth,” he grins, taking a cake out of the fridge and grabbing a bread knife, starting to cut into it.

“There was a boy in several of the pictures,” Felix says, and Ace immediately freezes, his body tense and knife lodged halfway in the cake. “I—sorry, I didn't mean to pry,” Felix quickly adds, realizing he's struck a nerve.

“No, I—” Ace says, voice uncharacteristically unsteady, hand trembling on the handle of the knife, before he seems to have the sense to put it down beside the cake. “That's… that was my brother.”

Felix doesn't know what to say, and Ace is clearly distraught, not meeting his eyes while he turns to lean against the counter in an attempt to appear casual.

“He died when I was thirteen. Well, suicide, actually, so—” Ace's voice breaks mid-sentence and Felix's feels like the wind has been knocked out of him, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach at Ace's words. He'd never have expected something so dark, and he wants to kick himself for being nosey.

Ace wraps his arms around himself and his gaze drops to the ground.

“I'm sorry," Felix repeats, because he doesn't know what else to say.

“No, it's fine,” Ace says, despite curling in further on himself. “Nobody talks about him, and it's like he never existed, but… I _want_ to tell you,” Ace says, glancing up at him with sad eyes, and Felix wouldn't dream of denying him in his time of need.

“Please,” he says, trying to sound encouraging and not like he's about to cry from making Ace upset. “But only if you want to.”

“Okay, so…" Ace starts, taking a deep and shaky breath. "Growing up, we never had a father figure and mamma worked three jobs, so Emilio practically raised us even if he was only five years older than Gianna,” Ace says.

_Emilio_. Felix has never heard that name before, but he silently vows to not forget it from this point on.

“So when we lost him—especially like that, it… it broke us,” Ace's voice lowers to a whisper and he bows his head to hide his face.

“I had no idea. I'm so sorry,” Felix says, coming to stand beside Ace, needing to be closer to him, and clasping his hand in quiet support. It's the least he can do, not knowing at all how to deal with the delicate situation, but since Ace returns the gesture and leans closer, he must be doing something right.

“It's been thirty-four years and I just—” Ace chokes up, tears glistening in his eyes. “We've never been the same.”

Felix wishes he could do more, but he only nods and runs his thumb over Ace's knuckles, wordlessly offering comfort and encouraging him to go on.

“Mamma barely even left her bed for years. When she finally did, she coped with food—she never even liked cooking before, but I think eating brought her comfort," Ace says.

Felix hums in acknowledgement but doesn't comment, trying to encourage Ace to continue, since it seems he hasn't had the chance to talk about this, maybe ever.

“Gianna… she had to work on the streets from when she was sixteen, or we would have starved," Ace says, clearly struggling to get the words out, and Felix feels sick to his stomach but doesn't dare interrupt. "She's had an alcohol problem ever since, and I don't blame her. And Stella was so young at the time and didn't understand, but after I'd left for the states she got involved with bad people—god, sometimes I was just waiting for the phone call to tell me she'd OD'd," Ace laughs without any mirth, dragging a hand down his face, and Felix squeezes his hand in sympathy. "She's been clean for almost ten years, but it was a struggle. If she hadn't met Sergio, I don't think she'd be here today.”

“I'm so sorry,” Felix lamely repeats. He would have never guessed the family's dark history, all of them fighting just to survive the tragedy that struck them.

Ace takes a shaky breath, before continuing.

“As for me… I started gambling when I was fourteen and ran away at sixteen when my family didn't support it,” Ace says, looking down at the floor in shame. “They needed me and I just… bailed. No amount of money I sent over the years will ever make up for that.”

“I really don't think they see it that way,” Felix murmurs softly, remembering both the sisters' kind words over the evening. “They clearly love you.”

“And I love them, _so_ fucking much, but—” Ace falters, his hand trembling in Felix's. “I'm a mess, _they’re_ a mess, and we're so dysfunctional but I never thought I'd get to see them again and—" he takes a shaky breath, and Felix sees more tears welling up in his eyes and threatening to spill free, the hand in his squeezing hard as if terrified Felix will let go after learning about his family's history.

And that is the absolute last thing on Felix's mind, pushing through the pain he feels on Ace's behalf to focus on his feelings for the man and the love that keeps growing day by day. Touched that Ace would be vulnerable in front of him, he leans closer to his boyfriend.

“Do you think there's room in the dysfunctional family for a workaholic with crippling anxiety?” Felix asks in a quiet murmur when their faces are close enough to feel each other’s breathing.

Ace's head snaps up and Felix spots a shaky smile on his face, before the sob finally breaks loose from his lover's throat and then he gets an armful of crying, shaking boyfriend.

“Thank you,” Ace manages through choked sobs, and Felix just pulls him tighter into the hug and pets his hair while Ace cries silently against his shoulder and soaks the fabric of his shirt.

He never expected the night to progress to this, hugging his crying lover in a cramped kitchen while said lover's family is in the next room over and has probably heard at least some of their conversation.

But as Ace grips his shirt tighter, whining and trying to get even closer, Felix realizes he might not have planned this, but he's grateful for the events that led them here and allowed them to get closer to each other.

A few minutes of quiet sobbing later, Ace is taking a shaky breath and pulling off of Felix, and Felix catches a glimpse of puffy red eyes before Ace turns to grab a paper towel to wipe his face with.

“Fuck, sorry,” his lover apologizes, glancing at Felix. “I ruined your shirt.”

“It's okay,” Felix says, although he feels some wetness seeping through the fabric. He'll just order some laundry service at the hotel - no big deal.

“Let me help,” Ace insists, grabbing another towel and wetting it to wipe at the spot, a brave effort but probably ultimately pointless. “Shit, only made it worse,” Ace sighs in irritation, glaring at the spot.

“If anyone asks I just spilled some wine on myself,” Felix reassures. “You're making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Okay, yeah,” Ace says, thoughtfully glancing at Felix’s half-empty glass forgotten on the counter. “And _I_ probably shouldn’t have any more tonight,” he huffs dryly, rubbing at the corner of his eye with his sleeve.

“Your wines are very strong around here,” Felix agrees, happy to help Ace pretend like the crying was due to the alcohol.

“It really creeps up on you, be careful,” Ace says and shoots a quick grin his way, playing along. “Now help me plate up dessert?”

And Felix does, the cake being some kind of dry one with citrus, and the slices end up very uneven and the caramel ice cream is partially melted, but nobody mentions it when they serve the plates at the table.

They retake their seats, and Felix's heart skips a beat when Ace makes it a point to scoot his chair even closer to him; their legs practically pressed together from hip to knee.

Felix eagerly follows the others' lead in taking a bite out of the cake, and even if he's never had much of a sweet tooth, he's not disappointed with the taste.

“It's really good,” Felix says and the others agree, and nobody thankfully points out the mostly melted ice cream that kind of ruins the experience.

“Our grandmother's recipe,” Gianna says, translating for her mother. “Mamma always insists on making it when Ace comes over,” she adds with a smirk.

And Felix turns to watch his lover stuffing his face with a generous serving of the cake. As if sensing eyes on him, Ace pauses mid-bite to look at his sister and Felix staring at him expectantly.

“What? Ish ghood!” Ace exclaims, mouth full, before digging back in.

“Felix,” Stella says, interrupting Felix's staring at Ace while thinking ‘why do I love this idiot?’, and he gives her his full attention. “What is your family like? Is your mother good cook too?”

Felix's pleasant smile falters as the painful memories flash through his mind. Even Ace stops eating his cake halfway through in favor of leaning closer and putting his hand on Felix's leg in solidarity.

“I lost my parents when I was seventeen,” Felix manages with a steady voice, looking down at the tablecloth so he doesn’t have to deal with the pitying looks. “And since I don't have any siblings, I was always just… on my own, after that.”

The silence at the table is heavy and understanding, and Felix remembers that these people are very familiar with loss, even if the circumstances were different.

Ace's hand on his leg squeezes and Felix looks into his lover's questioning and sympathetic eyes. He offers a small smile and puts his hand over Ace's, the biggest reason why he doesn't feel alone anymore.

“I'm sorry, that might not have been a very appropriate topic for dinner,” Felix says, glancing apologetically around the table.

“No, it's my fault for asking! I am sorry!” Stella hurries to explain.

“Sorry for your loss,” Gianna says.

“It's alright, it was a long time ago,” Felix says, trying to convince them just as much as himself that it doesn't still sting.

And then he remembers something, an important piece of information that is sure to turn the sudden somber atmosphere around.

“But I do have a daughter,” he says with a smile, the memory of her smiling face instantly elevating his mood.

There's a chorus of gasps from Ace's sisters, notifying him that apparently, he'd gone this entire time without mentioning her.

“Really?!” Stella asks, nearly bouncing out of her chair from excitement. “What is she like? How old?”

“Her name is Klara, she's three years old, and…" he starts.

“She's friggin adorable,” Ace adds with a grin. “Looks just like him.”

"Actually," Felix remembers. "I have some pictures on my phone if you want to—"

“ _YES!_ ” Stella screams. “Eh… if you want to, of course,” she adds, seeming to remember her manners.

So Felix pulls out his phone and browses through the gallery, Stella excitedly shaking next to him and Gianna seeming to let their mother in on the latest gossip.

Felix finds a set of pictures from when they took Klara to a petting zoo, deeming them as good as any despite his and Ace’s questionable camera work.

“Here she is,” Felix says, showing Stella a few of the photos. In one of them, Klara is posing with her new sheep plushie, in another her and Felix are looking at bunnies, and in the last one Ace is holding her in his arms and she's reaching out her small hand to pet a goat.

“She is beautiful!” Stella squeals. “Caro, look!” she orders Sergio, who leans over.

“Happy child,” he merely comments.

“Show mamma!" Stella encourages.

Francesca perks up from the other side of the table, and Felix hesitates—

And hesitates for a second too long, because Ace grabs the phone from him before he can even blink, reaching over to show his mom and sister.

“Mamma, questa è Klara,” Ace says, showing the pictures.

Francesca squints at the small screen, and then she gasps, starting to babble something in Italian and seeming _very_ excited.

“She says she's cute as a button,” Ace translates with a grin while Gianna browses through the photos.

Felix smiles pleasantly, trying not to panic because he doesn't recall if he has some… _private_ pictures Ace has sent him still stored in the gallery.

“La nipotina!” Francesca then says excitedly, looking at Ace.

“Mamma, no—” Ace sputters. “La figlia di _Felix_.”

The two seem to get into an argument over the fact, with the matriarch not backing down and Ace's face progressively becoming more red.

Felix is a little concerned, but Stella just giggles next to him.

“What are they saying?” Felix asks.

“Ah… I shouldn't say…” Stella hesitates.

“Granddaughter,” Sergio says, and Ace goes quiet and glares at the man.

“Sorry, I tried to explain,” Ace says, looking at Felix apologetically.

“She's excited for her first grandchild,” Gianna says, letting their mother grab the phone and stare at a particular picture with a wide smile on her face. “Good luck taking that away from her,” Gianna quips.

“I wasn't planning to,” Felix says, making Ace's head snap up to look at him in confusion. “Ace has been a wonderful father to her.”

Stella squeals and Gianna smirks, Francesca looking between her daughters and waiting for someone to translate. Meanwhile, Ace is now beet red, his mouth opening and closing while he flounders for something to say, staring at Felix completely dumbfounded.

They've never officially had this conversation, as Felix never wanted to pressure Ace into fatherhood. But maybe he _should_ have been more insistent, especially since Ace looks so fucking happy despite blushing like crazy.

“Actually,” Felix continues, addressing Ace's family. “When Klara is old enough, do you think we could take her to visit?”

Maybe he should have been prepared for the chorus of shrieks as Ace's sisters absolutely lose their minds, Stella squealing again while Gianna laughs and hurries to translate for their mother.

And as Francesca's eyes go wide, her sharp gaze zeroing in on Felix and pushing her chair out hard enough to make its legs screech against the floor, he already knows what’s coming.

Francesca stands up from her seat and shoves past a still dumbfounded Ace, waddling over to Felix in all her 150 centimeters of glory, and promptly pulls him into a bone-crushing hug, not caring that he's still seated.

Felix doesn't need a translator to understand her kind, murmured sentiments as she firmly keeps her arms around his shoulders. He doesn't mind the contact and pretends not to hear her voice choking up, feeling a smile settling onto his lips as he returns the embrace as much as he can, with his arms restrained and whatnot.

After the sincere display, Ace’s mother returns to her seat and they all finish their desserts, the sisters excitedly asking him questions about Klara, which he’s happy to answer.

But after, when Ace quietly suggests they call it a night, Felix is elated. No matter how much he enjoyed the evening, he's absolutely drained, from meeting so many new people and sharing more heartfelt moments than he thought he could handle in one night.

“Thank you for having me,” Felix says with his last reserves of social batteries as they’re making their rounds. “It was a pleasure to meet all of you.”

“Thank you so much for coming!” Stella beams, and then she's bouncing into him for a hug, but lets go before Felix can even register the fact.

Sergio and Francesca opt to shake his hand while Ace's sisters get in their last siblingly teasing, and soon Ace's mother is pulling her son into a tight hug and murmuring sentiments that sound both heartfelt and threatening, Ace chuckling and reassuring her.

When his mother seems to remember something and pulls Ace with her to the kitchen, Gianna steps up to Felix.

“Let me help get your jacket,” the woman offers, and Felix is grateful for the opportunity to slink away.

As he shrugs on the jacket, he catches the glimpse of an envelope in his breast pocket.

It's the wad of cash he withdrew earlier, safely stowed away before Ace could see.

After what Ace had told him about his upbringing, Felix had wanted to help his family, but Ace had shot down his idea of sending them a bank transfer, saying it wasn’t his responsibility.

And that’s why Felix had opted to bring cash and hopefully hand it over in secret.

He’d completely forgotten, the night going much better than he anticipated and not having spared a second thought to their living conditions as they were so generous with food. But now, he realizes that even if the family seemed to be faring much better than Felix would have thought, they were still living humbly, and he had the ability to help.

“Here,” Felix says before he can regret it, handing Gianna the envelope. “For all of you.”

The woman shoots him a questioning look, carefully opening the envelope and peering inside. To her credit, her face doesn't even flinch even upon seeing such a large sum of money.

And then she smiles knowingly and gives the envelope back to him.

“You're kind, but it's not needed,” the woman says, followed by a smirk spreading over her face. “You can buy me a beer the next time we meet.”

Felix huffs in fond amusement, her pride reminding him so much of her just as stubborn brother.

“It's a deal,” Felix says, pocketing the envelope.

“Hey babe!” Ace suddenly barrels into the foyer. “Ready to leave? Finally?” he asks, hooking his arm in Felix's, glancing between the two skeptically.

“Get going, you two,” Gianna teases, opening the door for them.

As the woman sees them off, exchanging some last few words with her brother that somehow end in Ace laughing and Gianna giving him the finger before smiling politely at Felix, they finally start making their way to the main road.

Ace is quietly humming a nonsensical tune as they walk, clearly pleased with the evening and not seeming to be bothered by the chill in the air. The darkness setting in makes the neighborhood seem much less welcoming than during daytime, and has Felix feeling a little on edge despite his tiredness.

“I thought you said the slums were dangerous at night?” Felix asks, looking over his shoulder and unconsciously moving to walk closer to Ace for safety. He completely lost track of time and their location when they were with Ace's warm and welcoming family, now regretting not calling a taxi to pick them up at the door.

Ace's humming pauses and he gives Felix a strange look, before it's replaced with a carefree smile.

“It's just another a hundred meters or so, nothing will happen,” Ace explains, but something seems… off.

“Ace, what's wrong?” Felix asks, preferring a heads-up if Ace somehow forgot and they’re about to be gutted and sold for organs.

Ace is quiet as he keeps walking and avoids the question, but eventually he sighs.

“Sweetheart, this isn't the slums,” Ace explains patiently, and Felix wants to die from mortification.

“Sorry—” he stammers, embarrassed over insulting the neighborhood like that.

“No, it's okay,” Ace reassures with a gentle smile. “I know this is different from what you're used to, and…” he falters. “And I'm just happy you convinced me to go on this trip and have been so understanding,” Ace confesses, but then seems to perk up. “You didn't even complain when you stepped in dog shit the other day!” he grins playfully.

“Thank you for reminding me,” Felix mumbles, glancing at his shoes reflexively as if the unfortunate incident would happen again. “I… know I could never understand your past fully, but I want to try,” he says bashfully.

And that makes Ace stop walking and just stare at him.

“Um… what?” Felix asks, feeling a little self-conscious and hoping that wasn't too lame.

“You're literally perfect,” Ace says, a genuine smile replacing his pensive expression. “You allowed a slum rat into your goddamn _mansion_ , let him raise your daughter, and then met his clusterfuck of a family and _liked_ them."

Felix hates when Ace talks about himself in such a demeaning way, but he focuses on the happy sentiment behind it.

“I love you," Felix says, simple and sweet. “And that means everything that comes with you.”

“Fuck, you're gonna make me bawl again,” Ace chuckles, and Felix immediately wraps his arms around him. “Sorry for being such a wreck today,” Ace mumbles into Felix's jacket.

“Sorry for being such an awkward nerd today,” Felix counters.

“'Today'?” Ace's voice, more smarmy than before, pipes up, and Felix can't help but chuckle.

“I… really appreciate you being yourself today,” Ace adds, more somber. “I know it was hard for you, but you were so perfect.”

“I'm glad too,” Felix says, placing a kiss on the top of Ace's head. “And I'm so touched that you'd want to introduce me.”

Ace pulls away just enough to look at him with big brown eyes, before his sighs in fond irritation.

“Okay, who told you?” Ace huffs, lips twitching into a smile even through the embarrassment.

“Sergio,” Felix admits. “But it probably doesn't mean anything—”

“Of course it means something,” Ace interrupts gently, clasping Felix's hand and looking up at him with a warm smile. “You're the only one I've ever wanted to bring home.”

The earnest confession makes Felix's heart beat frantically in his chest, moved that Ace not only feels that way, but is also comfortable enough to admit it so openly. Tonight, this milestone of meeting his family, seems to have made both of them much more certain and open about their relationship.

“What did your mom show you in the kitchen?” Felix remembers, trying to change the subject so he doesn't end up breaking down in happy tears in the middle of the street.

“She gave me the recipe for the stew,” Ace grins. “The Felix-ified version.”

“She's a treasure,” Felix smiles, touched that she would notice that it was his favorite dish of the evening. “Too bad neither of us will be able to cook it.”

“She told me I should learn to, for…” Ace falters in a rare display of awkwardness. “For my new family,” he says, questioning eyes searching Felix's.

Felix can't help the sappy smile from spreading over his face, and he finally stops resisting his emotions and just kisses the love of his life in the middle of the street.

“I can't wait until we can bring our daughter to meet them,” Felix murmurs when pulling away, and Ace laughs and buries his head against Felix's shoulder and Felix thinks he hears a sniffle.

And then Ace inhales and _sneezes_ all over Felix's jacket.

“Shit, sorry— _again_ ,” Ace says, wiping his nose while a shiver seems to run through his body. “I forgot how cold it gets at night.”

“We should get that taxi,” Felix agrees, shrugging out of his now stained jacket and offering it to his boyfriend, who gratefully accepts the offering, regardless of the spit.

Luckily, there's a taxi waiting at the stop, and Felix lets out a sigh of relief as they enter the warmth of the car. Ace gives the driver directions before pulling the jacket tighter around himself, showing no signs of giving the clothing back. Felix doesn’t mind.

The car ride is silent, only the radio and Ace's sniffling breaking the monotony of the rumbling engine. Felix relishes in the silence, the tiredness setting in and eagerly awaiting burying himself between the soft hotel sheets and wrapping Ace in his arms as they drift off to sleep.

And then he remembers something, and figures he has some energy left to talk to his lover and hopefully cheer him up.

“So…” Felix starts, Ace turning to look at him curiously. “Luca, huh?”

Ace snorts and elbows him in the side, before leaning his head on Felix's shoulder.

“Actually, it's Gianluca,” Ace says. "And Gianna is Giavanna. Mamma had a phase.”

“When did you change it?” Felix asks.

“When I left home,” Ace says, a melancholy tone in his voice. “And then I kept changing it every time I had to skip town or could be tracked. I was actually Felicio for a few months, at one point. That could have been awkward,” he grins.

“Why did you stick with Ace?” Felix murmurs, intertwining their fingers.

“Because it's a kick-ass name,” Ace jokes. “I don't know. I got weirdly attached, I guess.”

“I'm glad,” Felix murmurs, running his thumb over Ace's knuckles. “I like Ace.”

“Yeah,” Ace agrees with a soft smile. “I don't really feel like I have to be someone else, anymore.”

And it's probably against every type of etiquette when Felix tilts Ace's head up and leans in for a kiss in full view of the driver.

But he's been out of his element for the entire evening, and he might as well allow himself a small comfort before they get to their hotel and can crash for the night. They still have a few days left of the vacation, too, and Felix is looking forward to spending their remaining time in the country that now feels like a second home.


End file.
